Why I feel bad for BP

OK, so I kind of feel bad for BP. I know the whole gulf oil thing is a giant screw-up, ruining the ecosystem for hundreds of thousands of organisms, people included. It's a disaster of epic proportions. And to have an underwater well without a disaster plan in place is completely irresponsible. BP is by no means innocent.

But here's what I started thinking about: BP by no means owns the ONLY underwater oil well. I did some minor research to find that there are close to 4000 oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. They are 15 structures operating at the deepest depths owned by a variety of oil companies.

The accident happened to a BP well... but it could just as easily have happened to a well owned by ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, Shell. And guess what? None of these companies offered up a solution to BP's problem. Meaning that they ALSO were not prepared for a disaster of this magnitude and hadn't proceeded with proper due diligence when building a structure that had the ability to destroy the lives of communities along the gulf.

So yes, as the cries of "Boycott BP" echo around the world - I know that they were the ones unlucky enough to get caught with their pants down. But we have to remember that NONE of the oil companies would have known how to fix it, so we have to look at the industry as a whole. The other oil companies have nothing to be proud of - what's the phrase? "Where but for the grace of God go I."